Cambridgeshire mother sets up special needs playgroup

Francesca Moriarty, pictured with Shania, says parents of SEND children need to feel "togetherness"

A mother frustrated by a lack of support for young children with special needs has set up a playgroup for them.

Francesca Moriarty, 29, who has a child with Down's syndrome, now runs the fortnightly Little Buds group in Brampton, Cambridgeshire.

She said parents in her situation often felt isolated and judged.

Cambridgeshire County Council said it worked to accommodate the specific needs of all children at its 19 Child and Family Centres.

Ms Moriarty has always worked with SEND (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) children, but it was only after her second child was diagnosed with Down's syndrome that she realised just how isolated some parents - especially those in rural areas - could feel.

"I had Shania and I got the isolation and constantly feeling that you're on the defence," she said.

"We've got children who come to this group who have behavioural issues; we've got children that have sensory problems; we've got children that are non-verbal, and that's all OK here. We don't see the diagnosis, we see the child."

Claire Ginty, an occupational therapist, says most families at the playgroup cannot get occupational therapy on the NHS

The Happy Mama Hub in Brampton provides the venue for free, and Claire Ginty volunteers at the playgroup to offer her expertise as a specialist occupational therapist.

She said: "We look at all areas of daily functions; we see what their sensory systems are doing.

"We have independent living activities - can they dress themselves, can they eat independently with a spoon, can they engage with play?

"Most of these families cannot access OT [occupational therapy] through the NHS."

Ami Cesare says she can just be herself and her children will be accepted at the playgroup

Ami Cesare, 36, has four children with special needs and said: "Places like this are amazing because you can just be yourself."

The Kids Charity said: "Early years has been a policy area that has been particularly neglected by successive governments.

"While that is beginning to change, it is vital that the needs of disabled children in the early years are at the front and centre of any reforms in this area.

"Similarly, early years has to be central to proposed changes to the SEND system."

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: "All 19 of our Child and Family Centres across Cambridgeshire are open to all families and we work to accommodate specific needs of children and families as and when appropriate.

"We run sensory SEND sessions at our centres which are designed for pre-school children with emerging or diagnosed additional needs and disabilities."

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: "Our published SEND and AP improvement plan sets out how we will make sure all children with special needs and disabilities receive the support they need, with new national standards for identifying and meeting SEND for children of all ages, including early years.

"So that early years practitioners are able to identify and support children with SEND now and going forward, level 2 and early years educator level 3 qualifications include SEND content, and our EY Recovery Programme includes training for up to 7,000 early years Special Educational Need Coordinators."

Little Buds runs every other Thursday (the next session takes place on 9 November), and one Sunday per month.